Poster
7
(#7) Can Alprazolam Alleviate Troublesome Features Beyond Symptoms Commonly Seen in Anxiety Disorders? A Systematic Literature Review.
Psych Congress 2025
Abstract: INTRODUCTION
Anxiety disorders have the highest lifetime prevalence rates of all psychiatric disorders and result in considerable functional impairment and economic burden. Patients with anxiety disorders present with a range of symptoms that may negatively impact quality of life across multiple domains. Some features such as tremor, challenges to cognition and memory, and muscle tension tend to occur alongside anxiety-related symptoms and can be bothersome. Alprazolam is approved for short-term management of disabling anxiety. The positive impact of alprazolam on the abovementioned features is reported to occur alongside anxiety-related symptoms. This review of the impact of alprazolam on these troublesome features would further inform clinicians on its relevance when treating anxiety disorders.
METHOD
Medical subject headings (MeSH) were defined to search for studies that assessed the impact of alprazolam on tremor, cognitive function, memory, and quality of life. Full-text studies in English were included for further review. 39 reports met the search criteria, of which five were more compelling.
RESULT
Three studies reported the beneficial effect of Xanax in reducing tremor severity, tremor amplitude; and tremor intensity. The GEMA project reported improvements in semantic verbal fluency in patients who had generalized anxiety disorder treated with low-dose alprazolam. Another study reported low-dose alprazolam impacted visual memory but did not affect attention and psychomotor performance.
DISCUSSION
While such improvements have been reported in the scientific literature, the evidence is not of adequate quality. Further evaluation in real-world practice is warranted to inform clinicians to personalize the treatment of anxiety disorders with alprazolam.
Short Description: In anxiety disorders, bothersome features such as tremor, challenges to cognition and memory, and muscle tension tend to occur alongside usual anxiety-related symptoms. Alprazolam is approved for short-term management of disabling anxiety. Our review of the published scientific literature aimed to understand the impact of alprazolam on the troublesome features that accompany anxiety symptoms. While improvements have been reported, the evidence is not of adequate quality. Further evaluation in real-world practice is warranted.
Name of Sponsoring Organization(s): Viatris
Anxiety disorders have the highest lifetime prevalence rates of all psychiatric disorders and result in considerable functional impairment and economic burden. Patients with anxiety disorders present with a range of symptoms that may negatively impact quality of life across multiple domains. Some features such as tremor, challenges to cognition and memory, and muscle tension tend to occur alongside anxiety-related symptoms and can be bothersome. Alprazolam is approved for short-term management of disabling anxiety. The positive impact of alprazolam on the abovementioned features is reported to occur alongside anxiety-related symptoms. This review of the impact of alprazolam on these troublesome features would further inform clinicians on its relevance when treating anxiety disorders.
METHOD
Medical subject headings (MeSH) were defined to search for studies that assessed the impact of alprazolam on tremor, cognitive function, memory, and quality of life. Full-text studies in English were included for further review. 39 reports met the search criteria, of which five were more compelling.
RESULT
Three studies reported the beneficial effect of Xanax in reducing tremor severity, tremor amplitude; and tremor intensity. The GEMA project reported improvements in semantic verbal fluency in patients who had generalized anxiety disorder treated with low-dose alprazolam. Another study reported low-dose alprazolam impacted visual memory but did not affect attention and psychomotor performance.
DISCUSSION
While such improvements have been reported in the scientific literature, the evidence is not of adequate quality. Further evaluation in real-world practice is warranted to inform clinicians to personalize the treatment of anxiety disorders with alprazolam.
Short Description: In anxiety disorders, bothersome features such as tremor, challenges to cognition and memory, and muscle tension tend to occur alongside usual anxiety-related symptoms. Alprazolam is approved for short-term management of disabling anxiety. Our review of the published scientific literature aimed to understand the impact of alprazolam on the troublesome features that accompany anxiety symptoms. While improvements have been reported, the evidence is not of adequate quality. Further evaluation in real-world practice is warranted.
Name of Sponsoring Organization(s): Viatris
